Steamboat Springs Happeningshttp://www.coldwellbankersteamboat.com/blog/categoryname_colorado-real-estate/sort_entrydatetime-desc/ Turkey Day is Here!When Is Housing's Black Friday? Some Surprising Holiday Home-Buying TrendsThanksgiving evokes certain unshakable images: Long tables crammed with too much food. Beloved and bickering family members consuming way too much of that food. Overstuffed family members staggering away from the table to watch football. And once the crumbs and turkey bones and cranberries are cleared away, just about everyone gearing up for the biggest shopping day of the year: Black Friday.While prowling the malls for fantastic deals has become enshrined as a traditional part of many Americans' holiday season, it has long been considered conventional wisdom that this sales fervor doesn't extend to shopping for a home&mdash;that there's no deluge of would-be buyers surfing the Web for listings or slogging through the (presumed) snow to open houses.But does the housing market really come to a screeching halt during the holidays? The realtor.com&reg; team decided to put down its Best Buy circulars and Victoria's Secret gift cards long enough to find out for sure. In order to measure people's interest in shopping for a home, we used traffic data on realtor.com from throughout 2014. Not-quite-spoiler: Traffic is much lower on an actual holiday. But what about directly afterwards? And in different parts of the country?We compared the traffic data for realtor.com on Thanksgiving Day 2014 with that of an average day in 2014's fourth quarter, and then we identified states where house-hunting activity appeared to be most and least impacted by the holiday.In balmy Hawaii, the amount of people house hunting on turkey day is only 10% less than the average for that quarter. However, in New Hampshire, the number is down by almost 60%.And overall, the Thanksgiving slowdown only lasts as long as it takes to digest that huge mass of poultry&mdash;and hit a few Black Friday sales. By Saturday, it's pretty much business as usual.But according to our database, the number of scheduled open houses on the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend is going to be only 6% of the number from this past weekend. So for buyers serious enough to attend a Thanksgiving open house, your effort will likely pay off&mdash;you will be dealing with equally determined sellers and facing less competition.Moving beyond Thanksgiving, we looked at the impact of all major holidays. Take a look at the graphic: Dark red indicates higher traffic, while light yellow indicates lower traffic.So what is the true Black Friday of the housing business? Here's a holiday shocker: Dec. 28 was actually one of the busiest days for real estate searches in the entire year, despite the fact that Dec. 24 was the single slowest.The reason: When we're over the holiday hump but still on break, it's a great time to look for our dream home. The same reason explains the surge of activity on New Year's Day. And, perhaps buying a house is a popular New Year's resolution?Another surprising, best-performing day on a holiday weekend: the other side of the year, July 6. Instead of traveling, many buyers apparently use the long weekend in the height of the buying season to search for homes and go to open houses.Overall, the spring market typically has the best combination of inventory and value&mdash;more homes go onto the market, but prices have not yet thawed. If you miss out on that sweet spot, the second-best opportunity is in fall. Sept. 1, on Labor Day weekend, was another top performer&mdash;it&rsquo;s all part of a seasonal pattern that buyers and sellers can use to their advantage if they are not constrained by school schedules or job transfers.Besides family-oriented holidays, there's one more holiday that significantly slows down home-searching activity. Nope, not Mother's Day, not Father's Day, but ... Valentine's Day. Think about it: Your significant other wants to take you out for a romantic dinner. Are you gonna say no because you want to stay at home to browse photos of fixer-uppers?Yuqing Pan, a Stanford graduate with a multimedia journalism background, writes data-driven stories for realtor.com. Follow @YuqingPanhttp://www.coldwellbankersteamboat.com/blog/6576/turkey-day-is-here!/ Tue, 20 Nov 2018 09:44:15 -07007 Reasons to List your House this Holiday Season7 Reasons To List Your House For Sale This Holiday Season Every year at this time there are many homeowners who decide to wait until after the holidays to list their homes for the first time, while others who already have their homes on the market decide to take them off until after the holidays.Here are seven great reasons not to wait:1.&nbsp; Relocation buyers are out there. Many companies are still hiring throughout the holidays and need their new employees in their new positions as soon as possible.2.Purchasers who are looking for homes during the holidays are serious buyers and are ready to buy now.3.You can restrict the showings on your home to the times you want it shown. You will remain in control.4.Homes show better when decorated for the holidays.5.There is minimal competition for you as a seller right now. Inventory of homes for sale traditionally slows in the late fall, early winter. Let&rsquo;s take a look at listing inventory as compared to the same time last year:&nbsp;6.The desire to own a home doesn&rsquo;t stop when the holidays come. Buyers who were unable to find their dream homes during the busy spring and summer months are still searching!7.The supply of listings increases substantially after the holidays. Also, in many parts of the country, new construction will continue to surge and reach new heights which will lessen the demand for your house in 2019.Bottom Line&nbsp;Waiting until after the holidays to sell your home probably doesn&rsquo;t make sense!http://www.coldwellbankersteamboat.com/blog/6572/7-reasons-to-list-your-house-this-holiday-season/ Mon, 19 Nov 2018 09:44:19 -0700Holiday Weekend open Houses: The Right Move for Agents?Holiday Weekend Open Houses: The Right Move for Agents?By Matthew BusheryAbout Agent BasicsThanksgiving and the subsequent holiday weekends are upon us. This may seem like an ideal time to hold an open house, but real estate agents are split on whether it&rsquo;s wise to open the doors to buyers on a holiday weekend. Even though nearly half of home buyers use open houses as an information source in their searches, some agents claim it&rsquo;s a waste of time to show homes during holiday weekends, noting many are out of town. Others, though, maintain some buyers prefer to use bonus weekend days to scout what&rsquo;s on the market.&ldquo;The buyers that are out there [during holiday weekends] typically have a higher commitment to going under contract,&rdquo; said Chicago-based Realtor Andrea Geller, who added that earlier in the day on holidays is the ideal time for open houses.Boston-based Realtor Joe Schutt, meanwhile, indicated there are really only two holiday weekends he ever considers holding open houses.&ldquo;Typically, Mother&rsquo;s Day and Father&rsquo;s Day work well for open houses. Prospective buyers have their parents in town visiting the city and, a lot of times, will go visit open houses after brunch. No other time really works since people leave the city for the coveted three-day weekend.&rdquo;Heather and Steve Ostram of Roseville Coldwell Banker Sun Ridge in California noted that open houses during the holidays can pose challenges to the sellers, so they typically avoid these times. However, they note there can be an advantage to scheduling during a holiday.&ldquo;One of the benefits [of open houses] is that relocation buyers, folks who may be visiting friends or family in the area and who may not have a buyer&rsquo;s agent yet, can see the home easily and quickly while they&rsquo;re in town, and their entire &lsquo;decision&rsquo; crew might be with them,&rdquo; they said.If you do opt for a holiday weekend, advance planning is more important than ever, according to the Ostrams. Getting the open house info populated on your MLS, Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, and your company website is a must. According to the Ostrams,&ldquo;Folks may be planning their holiday trip in advance, and you need to consider that and not miss that opportunity,&rdquo; the Ostrams added. &ldquo;We like to have the open houses posted at least by Tuesday or Wednesday before a Saturday or Sunday open house.&rdquo;If you&rsquo;re debating whether to host an open house during a holiday weekend, here&rsquo;s here&rsquo;s some factors to consider:Factors to Consider for Holiday Open Houses1)&nbsp; Is it a national holiday, meaning people across the country will get either Friday or Monday off from work?If prospective buyers get Friday or Monday off for the holiday, they may be more inclined to take a trip to be with family and friends elsewhere. In fact, more than 40 million residents plan to travel 50-plus miles this Independence Day. On the flip side, buyers may use this extra time in their hectic schedules to check out some listings. You have a higher probability to bring in people during a holiday weekend than you would on your average weekday due to busy schedules, so even the holidays pose a more ideal time to host an open house.2)&nbsp; How long has the home been on the market?If a property you&rsquo;re trying to sell has been on the market for a while and previous open houses on non-holiday weekends haven&rsquo;t gotten much foot traffic, perhaps holiday weekend open houses wouldn&rsquo;t fare so well either. Then again, if you market the home for sale appropriately &mdash; meaning through blogging about the open house &mdash; you can keep awareness of the listing high and attract big crowds of serious buyers during busy holiday periods.&ldquo;Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing perfectly.&rdquo;&mdash; ROBERT H. SCHULLER&nbsp;3)&nbsp; Are the sellers willing to have an open house during holiday weekends?National holidays not only offer millions of people some time off, but also serve as important days of remembrance. For sellers who celebrate these holidays with loved ones or simply prefer time to themselves, open houses are likely out of the question. Know your clients&rsquo; attitudes toward upcoming holidays to determine if open houses are an option.&nbsp;&nbsp;4)&nbsp; Do you know interested leads who would definitely show up to the open house?Research is an obvious part of the real estate marketing and sales process. Finding the right leads in your customer relationship management system (CRM) or via networking is another factor for your open house decision. Locate a handful of serious prospects, and you could have all the reason you need to hold an open house. Without knowing for sure that at least a few genuinely interested buyers will be around and willing to come to your open house, you could waste your time and that of your seller&rsquo;s.5)&nbsp; Are there a lot of events going on in your area during the holiday weekend?Some holidays, like the Fourth of July, tend to come with parades, festivals, and other events. Many, though, don&rsquo;t involve any social gatherings or celebrations. If your client&rsquo;s property resides near a heavily populated event, you may get a few serious buyers checking out the listing. The majority of these people will undoubtedly be nosy non-buyers, however, so if you&rsquo;re okay with a lot of people in the door who aren&rsquo;t actually going to bid on the home, you could consider holding an open house.6)&nbsp; Have holiday weekend open houses been successes for other real estate agents you know?Get other real estate agents to talk about their experiences with open houses during holiday weekends. Fellow colleagues at your brokerage or in your network can tell you if holding showings during busy holiday periods has panned out well for them in the past.Written by Matthew Busheryhttp://www.coldwellbankersteamboat.com/blog/6562/holiday-weekend-open-houses:--the-right-move-for-agents?/ Fri, 16 Nov 2018 09:14:49 -0700Ski Season is almost here!!!! How do Home Prices in your Hometown Compare?The Most and Least Ski Towns Across the United StatesYou're the type who can't wait for the temperature to drop. Once the leaves start to turn, you're already digging your parka out of the closet and waiting for the first snowflakes of the season. Come December, you're speeding out of the city or 'burbs after work on Friday and heading toward the slopes. Ah, bliss.Instead, what if you could wake up within a short hop (or shorter ski) to the lifts, right out your door&mdash;and then, after a life-affirming day of shredding, carving, or zorbing, return to soak in your very own hot tub, while sipping a fine glass of pinot under the stars? A crazy, wintertime fantasy? Nope. If you think only tech zillionaires and celebs can afford a vacation home in a scenic ski town with killer views of snowcapped mountains, think again."People seeking the ski town lifestyle, but who don't want to spend a million dollars for a house, can choose a town that doesn&rsquo;t come with the fancy name or famous ski resort," says Christopher Steiner, founder of ZRankings, an analytics company that produces ski resort rankings. "To me, a real ski town is a place where you don&rsquo;t waste any time commuting to and from the slopes&mdash;and the mountains close by are good enough that you&rsquo;ll never get bored."Toward that magical goal, the snow-loving realtor.com&reg; data team crunched the numbers to find the most affordable ski towns in the U.S.A. (United Slopes of America). And because we wanted to peek at where the one-percenters while away their winter months, we set out to rank the least affordable towns too.To create our ranking, we started with a list of more than 300 ski resorts, as compiled by onthesnow.com, a website that creates snow reports for resorts. We then located the nearest town or city in those areas, focusing on ones that had at least 50 homes for sale. For geographic diversity, we included just one place per state (sorry, Colorado!).Winter really is coming. And while the more bargain-friendly towns may not boast many Trump-spawn sightings, Michelin-rated eateries, or snowy mansions, they do offer some fine slopes, a wide range of fun outdoor activities, and some sweet homes.So light up the Duraflame, pour yourself a big mug of Swiss Miss, and let's take a look.The most affordable ski towns1. Harrison, MIMedian home price: $64,000Rust Belt ski mecca? You betcha. Situated in Central Michigan about three hours from Detroit, the town has a undeniable and seductive outdoorsy vibe.Founded in 1949, the Snow Snake Mountain Ski Area ski resort has six lifts and 10 runs over more than 40 acres, covering a nice range of beginner and intermediate trails, and even a black diamond run for expert skiers or boarders. And what&rsquo;s a winter resort without snow tubing? Yeah, they've got that, too.&ldquo;A lot of home buyers here are looking for a cabin in the woods or the lake, to get away from the hustle and bustle,&rdquo; says Rose Mayfield, associate real estate broker at Harrison Realty, of the area's many modest single-family homes. &ldquo;Harrison is known for 20 lakes in 20 minutes. We have an abundance of state land&mdash;lots of snowmobile trails and ice fishing lots.&rdquo;In fact, there are so many snowmobile trails here that you can ride flat out for more than two hours in a single direction through the woods. And you'd better pack your fishing poles for when you feel like slowing down: Every year, there's a big ice-fishing contest held during the Frostbite Winter Festival at nearby Budd Lake.2. Paoli, INMedian home price: $94,000For nine months of the year, Paoli is your run-of-the-mill, quiet, little Midwestern town. Then ski season happens."We're a community of 3,900 people, but on some weekends [during ski season], we have 10,000 plus at the peaks,&rdquo; says Rosemary Trinkle, owner and broker at Trinkle Group Real Estate in Paoli. "From my office on Main Street, you can see a steady stream of school buses, church buses, and cars rolling in" and heading toward the slopes.The little town is home to Paoli Peaks, a ski resort that is open seven days a week from mid-December through mid-March. Located in the southern part of the state, the resort has 15 trails and eight lifts.&ldquo;We have people moving in from bigger cities, like Fort Wayne and Indianapolis," Trinkle says. Most of the homes in the area for sale are more affordable, single-family houses with backyards. "Some come here to ski, some come here to hunt."So you've taken a few too many spills on the slopes? You may want to recover at the Hoosier National Forest, which starts just south of the city limits. The forest has more than 200 miles of trails that allow horseback riding.3. Biwabik, MNMedian home price: $98,000&nbsp;The Pepsi Challenge ski race in BiwabikImagine gliding straight from your home or condo into the ski-lift line. Fantastic! You don't have to cash in your 401k to achieve this in Aspen and Park City. You can pull it off in Biwabik&mdash;for a fraction of the price.Ski in/ski out accommodations are yours for the taking at the Lodge at Giants Ridge and the Village, which offers both hotel rooms and one- to two-bedroom condominiums for sale. The chairlifts for Giants Ridge, the local resort, start right at the lodge. The place has 35 downhill runs and 40 miles of cross-country trails.If skiing ain't your thing, there's an excellent spa for those preferring pedicures or massages to moguls. And the community is the trailhead of the Mesabi Trail, a bicycle trail that runs more than 120 miles through scenic Minnesota, with several campgrounds and fishing spots.4. Malone, NYMedian home price: $98,000Even for a skiing or boarding obsessive, living in a place that revolves solely around your sport can get a little old. Malone has prime access to the breathtaking&nbsp; Adirondack Mountains and the opportunity for some of New York's best lake fishing and fastest snowmobiling.&ldquo;We are a very small town, one of those places where everyone knows everyone,&rdquo; says Brittany Taylor, director of marketing at Titus Mountain Family Ski Center, the local ski resort. "And it&rsquo;s not very common to have a mountain 10 minutes outside a town, like we do in Malone."Opened in the 1960s, the resort has grown into 10 lifts and 58 trails, with a peak elevation of around 2,000 feet. The trails range from green terrain to expert-level double black diamond.Bargain-priced homes abound in the town, such as a three-bedroom, one-bathroom home built in 1880, selling for just $18,500. Just be prepared to put in a bit of elbow grease to restore these places to their former glory.Located only a couple of miles from the Canadian border, the town offers a quick getaway to Montreal and Ottawa, each about two hours away. No wonder nearly half of the ski resort's visitors come from the Lumberjack Country (aka Canada).5. Scranton, PAMedian home price: $98,000Living just minutes from the slopes is great&mdash;something you can find in many of America&rsquo;s premier ski towns. But it's hardly common in an affordable U.S. city. That&rsquo;s where Scranton stands out.&lsquo;We have [about] 10 resorts within two hours,&rdquo; says Ryan Widenor, an assistant manager at Ski Corner, a ski shop in town. &ldquo;It gives you a lot of options for terrains and different types of skiing.&rdquo;Many might associate this economically challenged city more readily with the Dunder Mifflin paper company than topnotch outdoor thrills 'n' chills. But maybe it's time for that to change.Scranton itself boasts Montage Mountain, more than a third of whose nearly 30 trails are at the advanced or expert skill level. The resort is also home to &ldquo;White Lightning,&rdquo; the second steepest slope on the East Coast. A 40-minute drive southwest of the city will take you to Camelback Mountain Resort, which has more than 30 trails over more than 150 acres.&ndash;&ndash;&ndash;&ndash;&ndash;The rest of the top 10 most affordable ski towns are Bruce, WI; the appropriately named Snowshoe, WV; Mansfield, OH; Kellogg, ID; and Brian Head, UT.Catch the (snow) drift? OK, get out the designer parkas, it's time to take a gander at how the other half lives in the winter months.&ndash;&ndash;&ndash;&ndash;&ndash;The Most Expensive Ski Towns1. Aspen, COMedian home price: $2,124,000It's the cr&egrave;me de la cr&egrave;me of American ski towns, the place where everyone wants to see and be seen. This Rocky Mountains town boasts some of the top resorts in the world&mdash;with the prices to match. But over the years, it's grown into something much bigger: a cultural mecca, a playground for the rich, the fabulous, and the curious, even something of an intellectual hotspot. There are nationally renowned art galleries and restaurants here, and no shortage of folks eager to indulge in both."We are the only major ski town where you won't run into any lines [on the slopes]; that's because it's not about the skiing as much now," says Wendalin Whitman, president and owner of Whitman Fine Properties in Aspen. "Our summers are more popular than our winters."Don't let all the glitz and celebrity sightings distract you (not too much, anyway). Aspen still has great slopes.You can hop on the gondola right at the south end of town, to be whisked up to the top of Aspen Mountain. Or take a free shuttle to Snowmass Mountain, a 94-slope behemoth owned by the same company. Other world-class resorts in the corporate family are Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk Mountain (home of the Winter X Games).But good deals on swanky, contemporary houses in this former mining town&mdash;where the picturesque cobblestone streets are now lined with boutiques from Prada to Burberry&mdash;are few and far between.&ldquo;It is very cutthroat. If you find a good deal, you have to move fast,&rdquo; Whitman says. &ldquo;People can&rsquo;t believe they have to pay more than $1 million for a condo built in the &lsquo;70s that needs work. &hellip; If you want something good, you&rsquo;ll need to spend $6 or $7 million.&rdquo;2. Jackson, WYMedian home price: $1,324,000&nbsp;Living in Jackson will cost you (but probably not as much as it cost these elk).Living in Jackson will cost you (but probably not as much as it cost these elk).nycshooter/iStockIn some ways, Jackson is the opposite of Aspen&mdash;those who can afford to buy here gravitate toward a decidedly lower-key brand of glamour. The town itself has fewer than 10,000 residents, and yet Jackson Hole Mountain Resort has been ranked as the top ski resort in North America by Forbes for six consecutive years."It's a true mountain town, with wooded sidewalks and one-off stores. It has an out West character that really attracts people,&rdquo; says Allison Kneubuhl, interim director of sales and marketing at Snow King Hotel. &ldquo;It hasn&rsquo;t been taken over by Pottery Barn, Williams-Sonoma, or Ann Taylor&mdash;you don&rsquo;t see that in the [town] square the way you do in Aspen or Vail.&rdquo;There are two main resorts in the region, the world-class Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, which is known for its steep-steeps, and Snow King Mountain, which has 400 acres of skiable land, including 15 expert-level trails.It wouldn&rsquo;t be a world-class ski town without some star sightings, although celebs here keep it on the down low. Hey, is that Harrison Ford ducking into the Snake River Grill? .The real estate is equally breathtaking. Those with money to burn can check out this 11,500-square-foot mountain estate, sitting on 40 acres. It includes a 20-foot mahogany bar, a private, three-hole golf course, an exercise room, and a creek stocked with trout ... for just $28,000,000.3. Park City, UTMedian home price: $1,298,000&nbsp;Feathery-soft snow, more than 7,000 acres of killer terrain, and just an hour's easy drive from a major airport, Park City is a great escape for many snow lovers across the nation.&ldquo;You can leave Florida in the morning and be skiing by lunch time,&rdquo; says Nancy Tallman, a real estate agent at Summit Sotheby's International Realty.Park City Mountain Resort, one of the best in North America, is right in town, an easy walking distance from many condos. It has more than 40 lift systems and 300-plus runs spread across more than 7,000 acres&mdash;the country's biggest ski resort. And if that isn't enough, down the road, Deer Valley caters to a more pampered clientele (the Ritz-Carlton is just next door), while Alta and Snowbird offer fantastic terrain just a little farther afield.Come January, the streets of Park City are flooded with movie stars, movie makers, and assorted industry types. Founded in 1978, the Sundance Film Festival is now the largest in the country. If you own a home here, you can rent it at a premium during the festival, or enjoy the many screenings, film talks, and parties for yourself&mdash;local residents get discounted tickets. Hey, you might even catch some quality time with Sundance founder Robert Redford.&nbsp;4. Incline Village, NVMedian home price: $1,076,000Lake Tahoe is well known as one of America&rsquo;s premier lakes, and a favorite getaway from the San Francisco Bay Area. And the lesser-known Incline Village hits its mark in summer and winter, home to many of the area's poshest mountain retreats, while sitting on the lake's stunning banks."[It] has a uniqueness because it is basically on Lake Tahoe,&rdquo; ZRankings&rsquo; Steiner says. &ldquo;There is no other lake like it, and [Incline Village] is the nicest town on it. ... The scenery is magnificent."Diamond Peak is the town&rsquo;s ski resort, with around 30 ski runs on more than 600 acres, including world-famous Crystal Ridge. There's also casino gaming, a championship golf course, and mountain biking in the town during the warmer months.But those views come with an long price tag. This summer, a property owned by casino and real estate businessman Steve Wynn sold for more than $30 million. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison also owns a (palatial) home here.5. Big Sky, MTMedian home price: $894,000&nbsp;As you're carving turns in the powder, you can take in the spectacular mountain scenery. And if skiing isn't your thing, you're just an hour's drive from Yellowstone National Park.&ldquo;The mountains here are regularly compared to the Swiss Alps," says Martha Johnson, a broker at the Big Sky Real Estate Co. "And the Gallatin River flows right through town and is a Blue Ribbon trout stream.&rdquo; Blue Ribbon fisheries are government-designated as of exceptionally high quality.The ski town is home to Big Sky Resort, the No. 12 ranked resort in North America and the best in Montana, according to ZRankings.But before you set up shop here, better make sure your ski skills are up to par. More than half of the trails are for advanced skiers. For those who aren't so confident on the slopes, there are plenty of local companies offering other diversions, including dog sledding.The downside? Well, there is a reason the town and its many pricey, rustic-style mountain retreats cost so much.&ldquo;We aren&rsquo;t an easy place to get to, but that&rsquo;s a big part of the appeal," Johnson says.&ndash;&ndash;&ndash;&ndash;&ndash;The rest of the top 10 most expensive ski towns are Cashiers, NC; Truckee, CA; Mahwah, NJ; Sun Valley, ID; and Stowe, VT.Lance Lambert is a data journalist for realtor.com.&nbsp;http://www.coldwellbankersteamboat.com/blog/6558/ski-season-is-almost-here!!!!--how-do-home-prices-in-your-hometown-compare?/ Thu, 15 Nov 2018 09:36:54 -0700What is Content Marketing and Why is it so Important? 7 Reasons To Provide Quality Content To Your Buyers &amp; Sellers &ldquo;Communication is not just about proving a point with scientific rigor. It&rsquo;s also about convincing your audience and getting them to relate to the point you&rsquo;re trying to make.&rdquo; &ndash; Harvard Business ReviewThe quality of information a real estate professional provides is what separates the great agent from the average agent.There is no better way to emphasize this difference than by how you communicate your message with clients and customers.Here are seven reasons to always provide the highest quality of content.1.) It helps the consumer make confident decisions.&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t market at people, or even to people&hellip;We market for them.&rdquo; &ndash; Seth GodinYou need to show that you are here to help families feel confident whether they are buying or selling a home.The best way to do that is by answering their questions about both the market and the process. You do that by providing intelligent and meaningful content.2.) It helps you build trust.&ldquo;The point is to make yourself useful and valuable. To build credibility; to build trust&hellip;&rdquo; &ndash; Guy KawasakiAt this time in history, trust may be the most valuable commodity a business has.You don&rsquo;t build trust by having the mindset of just converting leads. You build trust with the mindset that you are here to help families.3.) It shows you are an industry expert.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not about having the dots. It&rsquo;s about CONNECTING the dots!&rdquo; &ndash; Seth GodinbrIt is not enough just to share points of data with your customers. You must take the next step and bring insights to the numbers.Help buyers and sellers understand what the data means to them and their families.4.) It doesn&rsquo;t make you look self-absorbed.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s called a blog, not a brag.&rdquo; &ndash; Marcus Sheridan, Sales LionToo many agents want to do &lsquo;peacock&rsquo; marketing where they spend all their time bragging about themselves and their company.The customer needs to know that you care more about their family&rsquo;s needs than you care about your accomplishments.5.) It affords you the opportunity to inform, not inflame.&ldquo;Facts are the only good antidote to emotion.&rdquo; &ndash; AnonymousWhether you are setting a price on a new listing with a seller or explaining why an appraisal came in &lsquo;short&rsquo; to a buyer, emotions become part of the equation.The only way to lessen the emotions of the negotiations is to bring the conversation back to the logic of the situation. The only way to do that is to bring in the facts that underlie the situation.6.) It helps you be convincing.&ldquo;Without data, you&rsquo;re just another person with an opinion.&rdquo; &ndash; W. Edwards Deming, American Statistician, Professor and Management ConsultantIf you want someone to &lsquo;like and trust&rsquo; you, you must be able to back up our statements with facts and figures.Your content should always be based on actual data from a reliable source.People are less likely to question someone when they are confident the person they are talking to knows what they are talking about.7.) It&rsquo;s much more effective than cherry pie recipes.&ldquo;Frivolous content will sink as the gems of true insight continue to rise.&rdquo; &ndash; Marc Davison, 1000WattFor too many years, our industry has depended on frivolous content such as chocolate chip cookie recipes or music trivia.We have to stop being lazy and start sharing content that proves we know what is happening in the housing market and why it is happening.After all, we are applying for the job of &ldquo;Top Listing Agent&rdquo; or &ldquo;Top Buyers Agent,&rdquo; not Top Chef or for a spot on Jeopardy.In conclusion&hellip;Digital Brick, a top ranked marketing company said it best:&ldquo;Your goal is to have your customers see you as an asset. You want them to view you and your business as an industry leader or expert. You do this with the content you share and post.&rdquo;http://www.coldwellbankersteamboat.com/blog/6541/what-is-content-marketing-and-why-is-it-so-important?--/ Tue, 13 Nov 2018 09:52:37 -0700